Tim Allen: I Like Pissing People Off. And Nothing Does More Than a Very Funny Conservative.

If you ever needed an example of how unpredictable the TV business has become, consider the breakout new series that’s actually seven years old: “Last Man Standing.” The Fox sitcom was left for dead last year, when ABC — which didn’t own the Tim Allen show — canceled it after deciding the economics no longer worked.

Fox, however, does own the show — for now — through sister studio 20th Century Fox TV. Initial talks to immediately relaunch the show fell flat when Fox didn’t have room on its schedule. But then came New Fox.

As it prepares to reinvent itself as a standalone network, Fox is repositioning itself as more of a network with broad appeal, which includes stocking up with live events like Thursday Night Football. With the NFL on Thursday, “we saw an opportunity on Friday night for comedy,” said Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn.

But Fox didn’t have many sitcoms on its shelves and as Thorn noted, it’s hard to launch a new comedy night without an established half-hour. That’s when Fox floated the idea of reviving “Last Man Standing.”

“When we knew Tim was up for doing it, we jumped at the chance,” Thorn said. “He’s obviously a huge TV star, and we felt the show could resonate for our audience.” Of course, the recent success of “Roseanne” also lit a fire, as both that show and “Last Man Standing” are family comedies with a lead character who leans conservative.

Clearly, the appetite was there. The show’s Sept. 28 premiere averaged a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49 in Live+7 ratings, as well as 12.4 million multiplatform viewers, making it Fox’s most-watched Friday telecast in 18 years. Thanks to the sitcom, Fox has won Friday nights among adults 18-49 for six consecutive weeks — its longest streak in more than seven years. Or, as Thorn said, “So far so good.”